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Lily Collins is an expat in Paris in new Netflix series
In “Emily in Paris”, Collins plays a woman from Chicago who is sent to Paris for work. The series was created by Darren Star, who is also behind hit shows like ‘Sex and the City’ and ‘Younger’. ‘Emily in Paris’ launches on Netflix on October 2. (Sept. 30)
AP
If you were surprised to see “Emily in Paris” pick up two Golden Globe nominations on Wednesday while “I May Destroy You” was rejected, you’re not alone.
Deborah Copaken, a writer for the Netflix series about a young American making her way in the City of Lights, says she was shocked and angry too.
“Now, am I excited that ‘Emily in Paris’ was nominated?” Copaken wrote in a Guardian article published Wednesday. ‘Of course. I’ve never been around to see a Golden Globe statue up close, let alone be nominated for a statue. But that excitement is now sadly tempered by my anger over (Michaela) Coel’s snub. That ‘I May Destroy You’ didn’t get one Golden Globe kink isn’t just wrong, it’s what’s wrong with everything. ‘
Coel wrote, co-directed, and starred on the HBO series, which explores the trauma of sexual assault. Although Copaken considers the show a “work of pure genius,” it did not receive any Golden Globe nominations.
“‘I May Destroy You’ wasn’t just my favorite show of 2020,” Copaken wrote. “It’s my favorite show ever. The intricate issue of a rape – I’m a sexual assault survivor myself – and infused it with heart, humor, pathos, and a story so well-crafted that I had to watch it twice, alone. to understand how Coel did it. “
“Emily in Paris” was nominated for best comedy or musical, and Lily Collins, who stars as emerging influencer Emily Cooper, was nominated for best actress in a comedy or musical.
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While Copaken is pleased to have “Emily in Paris” nominated, she wrote that the show has its shortcomings.
“Did I take the criticism of the show personally?” she wrote. ‘Of course. Who not? But neither. ‘ Emily in Paris’ aired a few months after I marched through the streets of New York with my kids in June and July for racial justice. I could definitely see how a show about a white American selling luxury whiteness, in a pre-pandemic Paris, scrubbed free from its vibrant African and Muslim communities, could itch. “
According to Copaken, the absence of “I May Destroy You” from the nomination list speaks to bigger racing issues, with the writer referring to a 2017 report from the nonprofit Color of Change, which found 91% of showrunners are white and 80% men.
“Yes, we need art that reflects all of our colors, not just some,” she wrote. But we should also award prizes to shows (and music and movies and plays and musicals) that they deserve, regardless of the skin color of their creators. Is ‘Hamilton’ great because Lin-Manuel Miranda is Puerto Rican? Likewise, how anyone can look at ‘I May Destroy You’ and call it a brilliant work of art or Michaela Coel a genius is beyond my ability to understand how these decisions are made. ‘
Lily Collins compares ‘Emily in Paris’ against ‘SATC’, says engagement: ‘I kept shaking’